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  • john

    Songstuff Writer and Artist Development Challenges

    By john

    Independent writers and artists face several large disadvantages when they are compared to signed, mainstream writers and artists.  Disadvantages that add up to making it a competition that indies can’t win. Hell they can’t even compete.   Lack of budget and poor contacts are fairly obvious disadvantages. Lack of experience and a lack of knowledge restricts songwriters and artists alike. Lack of an overall strategy, and a limited set of incomplete tactics, makes for a critical problem
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Listening Habits for a Musician

http://www.mahesh-music.com/listening-habits-for-a-musician/   As a songwriter (and you will see if you do listen to the recent music I've put out on my SoundCloud or Youtube), my songs are quite melancholic and well, 'singer-songwriter'y.   But the music I'm listening to is not along the same lines.   I listen to a lot of RnB, Neo-Soul, Blues, a bit of Jazz music and more. That's usually my playlist that would keep me going on a daily basis. Sure, I do indulge myse
Mahesh

Mahesh

3

Whoa! Time flies

What happened? Have I really been too tired to write? Ugh! Maybe it's because I've been busy, distracted, and uninspired. Perhaps the few projects I've been working on have been enough...but I really do want to write. There's a song on the tip of my pencil just waiting for me to find the time to get it to paper.   I wrote three songs for a specific project. I'd like to do two more for it. Somehow writing for someone else isn't as rewarding to me. When I write for me my brain goes on th
Lisa Gates

Lisa Gates

0

Are singer-songwriters sad all the time?

I recently started a Youtube Vlog series called Mahesh Music Diaries to simply express all the things that goes on in my day to day life as a singer songwriter. I thought it'd be a great thing for the humble audience I am fortunate to have back home. But also, it is a great exercise to see yourself from third person and be able to mould yourself into a better and wiser person. And also, it's fun!     This is one question that has been asked way too many times in my short career
Mahesh

Mahesh

1

Mixing Philosophy

When I was first creating music as a teen, I would do whatever I felt when I mixed, I had no fear, no method, just feel.  None of these mixes were as they should be, but many of them were very vibey.  Then I met a producer who mentored me 5 years and taught me all kinds of things about mixing.  None were very easy to implement, but his ideas of sonic correctness, creating space, making room, what eq does, what makes a good mix, what makes a bad mix etc.  These ideas went whirling through my head
symphonious7

symphonious7

8

fragile

Pensive melancholy thoughtful contemplative brooding pondering preoccupied absorbed engrossed. Yep I’m fragile alright. The intensive shift pattern I'm working is partly to blame. So the last day of the rest period may be a Thursday, but it will feel like a Sunday because I'll begin work in the morning. If working on Sunday, I'll drive in and wonder where all the traffic went. I'll probably never see other engineers who work opposite me ever again. They are working the inverse of my shi
Rudi

Rudi

3

Conceptual Writing workshop 101.

Conceptual Writing workshop 101.           DEFINING CONCEPTUAL WRITING Conceptual writing is a form of “song writing” that involves a specific goal or message. Songs that are “conceptually based” are often built around subjects that are very important to the lyricist. These songs are normally intended to be very serious in nature and are meant to send a powerful message to the listener. Conceptual writing is not just for musicians looking to push an agenda. It
joehoe

joehoe

1

Feaured Artist - Simon Darveau

Featured Artist - Simon Darveau Montreal based French Canadian artist  Simon is a singer songwriter, self-taught guitar and piano player and wannabe sound engineer in his free time.   Simon is currently building his home studio where he hopes he will spend most of his time writing and producing his own music as well as collaborating with other artists in a near future.   A proud member of "The Travelling Songstuffers", a virtu
Songstuff

Songstuff

0

Lyrics about grief. Can they be used in music really?

Working with a licensing publisher by shear chance has opened my eyes to the uses of all lyrics.   My current grief has all these poems, thoughts, and full fledge lyrics pouring out of me. I kept thinking there is no way they can be of any use. They are dark and personal. Can anyone really identify with this? (enough to make it worthwhile?)   When I write, I try to make it a timeless scene. One that young and old, present and future can all identify with. Grief can be so spec
Lisa Gates

Lisa Gates

8

Nashville was great!

I was thrilled to have a week off to go visit friends up North and take a jaunt to Nashville. Yes, it was colder than Florida by a long shot. The warmth came from visiting with friends and moving toward my goal to move to Nashville this year. It amazes me what we will put with just to see friends and visit new places. All well worth it. Nashville was as expected. A big city with more crime than I want to live with and tons of traffic. On the positive side, the cost of living in the area is
Lisa Gates

Lisa Gates

0

reasons to exercise and my incredible teacher

Still well overweight. Exercise is essential but difficult. I take dancing lessons at the moment. Have done for about a year now. When I started the instructor asked if I was a musician; which impressed me a lot! Dancing is complicated and an ongoing struggle to remember all these steps. I fail most of the time but I'm still trying.   I also took up badminton at the suggestion of my son Ben. Only once a week though. Then it transpired that they break during the summer months. So n
Rudi

Rudi

1

what girlie's like

On Tuesday, I went to Mazak in Worcester in the West Midlands on a work trip. My friend and colleague Danny drove. In the back were the the office interns; three young ladies (girlies to us) who witter & giggle constantly. We felt lucky to be going in a Merc S series hire car for the 280 mile round trip.   The radio was on most of the time. On the return journey a pop-rock tune was being played at one point. Towards the end of the tune, an unusual change occurred. It sounded as if
Rudi

Rudi

4

My "Success Story"

I was recently asked about what success means to me as a songwriter and musician. Explaining what this broad term means took me good thought. But recently, something that happened made things much easier for me to answer this question. Every individual is on the journey of finding some purpose in life. There are good times and bad that each of us wade through. Though we cannot possibly quantify all of it in a sentence (or a hundred), there are certain experiences that embrace the essence of
Mahesh

Mahesh

0

the signal processor method

The amount of knobs I’d want on my ideal guitar would be none at all. I only need one pickup; a single coil in the neck position. I don’t need a tone knob because I leave them on max treble (the one exception being the Hofner Archtop, but that’s not a gigging guitar). Volume? Don’t need it. The expression pedal on the signal processor is always set to ‘volume’, so I use that. It’s also much easier to control volume that way. Once the soundcheck is done, the max volume doesn’t nee
Rudi

Rudi

3

Nashville in the air

Ah the smell of coffee! The empty page looking at me. The pen in my hand, patiently waiting for inspiration. Then WHAM! My Twitter lights up with some new followers from Nashville! YES! Love it! That starts the conversation with a co-worker (yup, the day job scenario...) who used to live in Nashville, has contacts there, and knows a realtor there! If you could only see my happy dance. (OK maybe you shouldn't see it! LOL I'm a writer not a dancer!) James, my co-woker, is on board to help me get t
Lisa Gates

Lisa Gates

6

not another one...!

I thought I was going to finish 2016 without getting any more guitars. But no, I have another on the way. The pickup change on the Esprit was supposed to provide me with the Fender sound I miss. It sounds good, but it doesn’t sound like a Fender.   I’ve been considering options for quite a while now. Oddly, actual Fenders are low on my list. I’ve looked at G & L, MusicMan, Flaxwood, Chapman (Yes Rob Chapman. His models are made in Korea and most have ebony fretboards), Yamaha,
Rudi

Rudi

1

Lyrics Challenge Ballad #1 WInner - Amy Abernathy

"You Rocked The Country" by Amy Abernathy, @ames1212   Amy's piece was selected as the closest to the initial challenge brief. Well done Amy and congratulations!   Read Amy's entry and an interview with her by following the link below: Ballad Challenge #1 Winner Amy Abernathy   To everyone else who took part, many many thanks for getting involved. There were some great lyrics contributed, covering a range of genres. It was great to see your lyrics evolve, tryi
Songstuff

Songstuff

3

more pick stuff

One or two of you may know that I’ve spent a deal of time and money on picks. It’s been ongoing for about 2 years now. Changing picks has been of more real benefit than any new guitar or any other piece of kit could’ve been. While renewing the edges & points on favoured worn picks, I have experimented by adding bevels or a modifying the shape using files, emery cloth and whatever has come to hand. Some mods have been successful, others not. I’ve even considered making some, a
Rudi

Rudi

3

Review: SampleTank 2 for iOS

Read our review of SampleTank 2 for iOS, a major upgrade of IK Multimedia's  virtual instrument app for the iOS mobile platform.   Review: SampleTank 2 for iOS
Songstuff

Songstuff

0

Featured Artist - Danny Rains

Featured Artist - Danny Rains   Songwriting once cast a spell on a wayward youth named Danny Rains. It sent him stumbling headfirst into a mystifying underground world of melodies, harmonies, and words.   Now, many years since, he still returns to that deep well of unknowable truths. In the early morning dark, he often finds himself staring into a fog of half-remembered dreams, feeling around the bed for a pencil or a guitar, hoping to capt
Songstuff

Songstuff

0

minimal work is optimal

This hot weather has been making my guitars move. The careful set-ups are compromised or ruined. Only a couple seem ok. I re-adjusted the Les Paul on Monday, just prior to practice. I tried to adjust the Esprit yesterday, but that’s proving a little awkward. Rather than undertake a lengthy comprehensive set up, I thought I would just play it for an hour as it was. ‘As it was’ is with the G, B and ‘e’ sitting higher off the fingerboard than is usual, and the strings are also
Rudi

Rudi

0

Planning an EP and an Album plus Singles

Well a while ago I shelved plans for an album due to life getting in the road... but here I am back again, in the early stages of planning an EP and an album with accompanying singles.   For now I have a provisional timescale, with the plan to release the single in October, followed by an EP in November. Hopefully then I will release singles and an album to follow in April / May. The tracks are mostly written for both EP and album and recording has begun. Tracks are being selected for
john

john

8

Featured Artist - Achazia

Achazia Achazia (real name, Gry) is from Oslo, Norway. She is an artist, composer and ethereal musician.   As a gamer, Achazia is fascinated by how music can help you to immerse in games. She has some of her music in multiplayer and mobile games.   Achazia currently has a song, "Empress of Vincenza" placed with fantasy radio station Radio Rivendell. The song is part of a project/compilation called Book of Ages with other compo
john

john

1

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